Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies welcomed UK Government ministers to his constituency last week, as they were given a tour of the area to see how £20m of levelling-up money is set to regenerate Denbighshire.
Jacob Young, the Levelling Up Minister and Fay Jones, Wales Office Minister, saw first-hand on Thursday how transformational regeneration projects in Rhyl, made possible by UK Government funding, will benefit the local community.
Denbighshire County Council was awarded £20 million in the most recent round of allocations from the Levelling Up Fund, with over £12.7 million committed to regenerating Rhyl.
Local people will benefit from a revitalisation of the town centre, including a much-improved gateway to the High Street, near the railway station.
Alongside the transformation of Rhyl’s High Street, the Ministers also saw where money will be used to further improve the promenade, as well as the area around the new Queen’s Market development.
Other elements of the Vale of Clwyd Levelling Up Fund bid include investment in Prestatyn Town Centre and funding to allow the redevelopment of the former North Wales Hospital site in Denbigh to proceed.
James, who worked closely with Denbighshire County Council, the Department of Levelling Up and senior ministers to progress the Vale of Clwyd bid, said:
“I was incredibly pleased in November when it was announced that the Vale of Clwyd bid had been successful, and so I was delighted to welcome the Ministers to Rhyl last Thursday to find out more about the projects the funding will be used for.
“Rhyl town centre has been in need of investment for a number of years, so to now have the funding in place to carry out major improvements is very good news indeed.
“Investment of this nature has the power to make radical changes which will support economic recovery, through regeneration and growth, and therefore improve lives."
James also accompanied the Ministers on a visit to the Salusbury Arms pub in Tremeirchion, which recently reopened its doors thanks to £175,000 from the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund (COF).
He said:
“The COF protects beloved community places at risk of closure and I was pleased to assist the Tremeirchion Community Pub Steering Group with their application for the funding.
"It was satisfying to visit the pub with the Ministers on Thursday to see how the funding has renovated this historic village pub and to hear more about how the community are running it.”
James added:
"2023 saw the Vale of Clwyd being awarded tens of millions of pounds of UK Government funding. I look forward to watching all the projects in Denbighshire progress and start making a real difference to residents.”
UK Government Minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young said:
“I loved being in North Wales to see first-hand how levelling up will be made a reality here thanks to millions of pounds of UK Government support.
“I was also delighted to visit the Salusbury Arms, a much loved pub in Tremeirchion with a great deal of history, that has been saved through a mix of the local community’s brilliant campaigning work and our Community Ownership Fund support.
“These projects show how committed we are to levelling up in Wales and it is heartening to see how the money will positively impact communities for generations to come.
Wales Office Minister Fay Jones said:
“A great visit to Denbighshire yesterday to see these wonderful projects that will make a huge difference to local people’s lives. The ambitious plans for the regeneration of Rhyl will be a huge boost for the town, helping to attract businesses, create jobs and grow the local economy.
“And I much enjoyed meeting the people behind saving the Salusbury Arms who have worked so hard to safeguard the pub for future generations – congratulations to them!”
Vice Chair of the Salusbury Arms pub Jane Marsh said:
“Securing the Community Ownership Fund to support our bid to own The Salusbury has meant that we were able to purchase the building outright not only without taking on debt but also to convey to almost 200 shareholders that the Government had confidence in our vision for the future of this treasured community asset.
“The process was straightforward and I would urge other communities like ours to apply”.
